Not always. If you look at the last 6 decades, in 1952, Eisenhower & Stevenson got their nominations on the first try. Ditto 1960 with Nixon & Kennedy. Although Goldwater had floated his name in 1960, he got the nomination on his first actual try in 1964. Humphrey got it on the second try in 1968 (but Nixon's was the second official nomination). McGovern got his on the first try in 1972, as did Carter in 1976. Reagan, like Humphrey, got his on the second try in 1980. Mondale & Dukakis on their first tries in 1984 & 1988. GHW Bush on his second try in 1988 (after first running in 1980). Clinton got in on his first try in 1992. Dole, lamentably, had to go through three tries to get it by 1996 (having tried before in 1980 & 1988). Dubya got it on a first try in 2000. Gore on his second (having tried back in 1988) the same year. Kerry & Obama both on their first tries in 2004 & 2008. McCain & Willard on their seconds in 2008 & 2012.
So, with the lone exception of Reagan, running retreads has been a fiasco for us, and hasn't worked since 1988 (and GHW Bush proceeded to undo what Reagan had done, paving the way for Clinton). Running first-time candidates on the Dem side has been a winner for them since 1976, and worked for us the last time we won an open race in 2000.
"Santorum and Romney both have large national organizations left over from 2012 and large fund raising lists to call. They have name recognition and both won Iowa sort of and both did well in NH. Either or both will be very tough opponents."
Willard should be a non-starter. That he would be attempting a third run, as Bob Dole did (or William Jennings Bryan, for that matter), is as gross an example of deliberately wanting the party to lose as can be. Santorum is NOT a strong candidate. He was second tier to start off with. Why he performed well was because he was the only thing remotely resembling a Conservative candidate, hence he was the fallback for many of us.
Of course, even as second-tier as he was, he had far more experience than Zero, who was barely out of the IL state legislature, where he was a virtual non-entity with nothing in the way of accomplishments (and successfully running two stronger opponents off the ballot). Indeed, to date, the ONLY strong candidate Zero has ever faced was Congressman Bobby Rush, who destroyed him when he tried to beat Rush in the Dem primary for Congress in 2000. That race was a premier example that Zero has always been eminently defeatable, so long as one ran a candidate who actually was credible and WANTED to beat him and not lose gracefully to him (hence a sacrificial lamb with no resources in 2004, Alan Keyes, or the two ringers of McCain and Willard).
Fact, no republican since nixon in 1960 won the republican nomination, the first time out.
Do we not count Reagan in ‘68 as an official “try”? Was that more of a draft effort at the convention?
Ha, I didn’t know Dole ran in 1980, boy he must have been at the bottom of the back, pretty pathetic for a VP nominee.
Anyway, Romney in 2016? Give me break, forget that he’s a RINO, he lost an election we couldn’t afford to lose, he ran a bad race, and don’t let the Grecian 5 hair fool you, he’s ancient. I’d sooner give it to Christy Creme or spawn of Paul, what do you call him SOL, “Flower Child”. About the only candidate I’m not sure I’d prefer to Romney is frigging Jeb.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< “ Santorum is NOT a strong candidate. He was second tier to start off with. Why he performed well was because he was the only thing remotely resembling a Conservative candidate, hence he was the fallback for many of us.” <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<,,
Indeed, it spoke to the pathetic state of our candidates, I mocked him for entering and ended up supporting him because there was no other choice (Newt and Paul, barf, I’d sooner have backed Romney).
NO ONE that ran in 2012 is POTUS timber, period.
If any of them could be a serious contender I would be bet it would be, despite his laughable campaign in 2012, Rick Perry. I’m not a fan, but every other 2012 contender is even more ludicrous a suggestion.
Fresh blood is desperately needed, and no, not ‘Sarah’.
Scott Walker? Ted Cruz?
<<<<<<<<<< 2ndDivisionVet: He sure didn’t win his “home” state, did he? <<<<<<
Well that depends. He had 4 home states, of course Massachusetts (had zero chance to win it but he hardly did better than McCain, pathetic), the state where he was born and raised, Michigan (lost), New Hampshire, I guess he lived there after he bailed on MA, (lost, I expected him to win it, fail) and Utah (of course won big).